Forbidden Desires

Chapter 2."How It All began"

Karlie's POV:

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart."

Karlie Coldwater, at nineteen years old, was the eldest of four siblings—Amy, Joshua, and Amanda. She was the big sister they all loved,  Karlie had a way of knowing exactly what to say.

Her parents, Brad and Wanda Coldwater, had been together since they were eighteen and nineteen years old, their love story was one Karlie had always admired.

Whenever each young woman turned nineteen, she was expected to join society, find a wealthy husband, and start a family. Marriage was not about romance—it was about duty, about legacy.

Karlie hated the idea of having her husband being chosen for her. She wanted to fall in love before marriage.  She had no desire for an arranged marriage But she lived to please her parents and take care of her siblings, so she kept those dreams buried deep inside.

Their farm life was simple but secure. The Coldwater girls received the best education and were fluent in three languages.

As the eldest, Karlie oversaw the daily farm chores, assigning tasks—who would milk the cows, who would gather the eggs. Three times a week, they traveled into town to sell their produce, but Karlie was only allowed to go once a week.

Her mother insisted on keeping her hidden, preserving her mystery for when she would be introduced to society. The less people knew of her, the more valuable she would be when the time came.

On this particular Wednesday, her mother finally allowed her to go to town with her younger siblings to sell their produce.

That was when she saw him for the first time—Aiden Baldwin.

He was always in town with his father, selling fruits and vegetables. The eldest Baldwin son, tall and mysterious, always focused on his work. His younger brother was away, though rumors whispered that he wasn't at boarding school like the family claimed—but in rehab.

Aiden never smiled, never spoke unnecessarily. And in their world, girls weren't allowed to speak to boys.

Karlie knew the rules. A woman had to remain pure, untouched, unsullied before the season—a time when eligible women were presented at society balls, where their future husbands would choose them like prized possessions. A lot of these marriages where already arranged by these families once their children where born.

It was almost time to leave when Karlie realized Joshua the only boy in the family was nowhere to be found.

She groaned, setting off to find him in gonna kill hook she thought to herself. The marketplace was crowded, people moving in all directions. As she was passing by the Baldwin stall, someone knocked into her, sending a basket of apples tumbling to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, kneeling to pick them up.

A hand reached out, helping her gather the apples.

Aiden Baldwin.

"It's okay," he said, his voice deep and steady. "It wasn't your fault. It's always this crazy around this time."

She looked up—right into his striking hazel brown eyes.

"I'm Aiden," he said.

She hesitated before answering. "Karlie," she whispered, reaching for an apple at the same time he did.

Their hands brushed.

For a brief moment, she felt something—a warmth, a flicker of something unknown.